Falling
by Melissa Brooks
Summary: Todd finds why Marty was pushed and who was responsible for pushing her and framing him.
1. Chapter 1

**Falling**

_**AN: I do not own these characters. They are owned by ABC's One Live to Live's writing team. This is just for the purpose of entertainment. The first chapter is written from the point of view from the person who pushed Marty down the stairs. **_

I saw Todd push his way past a nurse and storm his way into Marty's office. He looked pissed and I'm sure that he will find yet another way to make Marty suffer for his well deserved misery. He just couldn't stay away from her. He lived to make her suffer. I couldn't really blame him. It was the one thing that I had in common with the son of a bitch. The only thing that I had thought about for two years was revenge for all those that had wronged me. Marty was on the top of my list, but then again so was Todd. They had to pay for the life of living hell that they had given me. I stood outside of her door listening for the right information. I needed to find a way to get to them and destroy them. 

"What would you have me do?" I heard her say.

"Take your sorry ass, your baby's sorry ass, and your son's sorry ass and disappear," he replied. I was correct; Todd was in an ugly mood and was taking his anger out on Marty. I smiled knowing that this argument was just going to get uglier before it was over. If I knew Marty, she wouldn't take his crap and give it right back to him. If I didn't hate her so much, I'd almost have to respect her for her fighting spirit.

"You want me to disappear?"

"The only reason you came to town was to stick it to me. You never got over what I did to you and you thought that you could use your son to seduce my daughter as some kind of revenge, didn't you?"

"Yes Todd, you have me all figured out, I would really use my own son to get back at you. I'm so good that I forced a connection between Starr and Cole without them even realizing it," Marty sarcastically answered him back.

"Don't placate me. I can't be with Tea, because Dani hates me. She hates me because of what I did to you. If you were gone I could be finally happy."

"The only reason that you're not happy is because of the decisions that you made. Cole did not ruin Starr's life any more than I ruined yours. Cole and Starr are going to be happy and there's nothing you can do about it. John and I are going to be happy and there's nothing you can do about it."

"We'll see." I heard Todd say. It sounded like the argument was coming to a stalemate so I turned the corner and watched as Todd left. Todd gave me a perfect idea. It was time that Marty's stupid ass child disappeared. That would destroy her to lose a child that she claims to care about. I didn't want her dead, I just wanted her to suffer, but if she did die then so be it. I posted an out of order sign on the elevator door and waited for Marty to leave her office. She had to leave sometime and when she did I would finally have my revenge. Todd was always his own worst enemy he had given me a brilliant idea to get back at him. He would undoubtedly be a suspect.

Ten minutes later I saw Marty leave. I followed her to the stair case and when her back was turned to me, I shoved her as hard as I could. I watched her tumble down the stairs and then took off.

I was on my way out when I overheard Todd tell Tea that he wished that Marty was dead. This was too easy. I would make sure that he was convicted for pushing her and sent away for a long time. I was serving justice, the bastard deserved to be in jail after everything that he has done and I was going to make sure that's where he ended up.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

_**AN: I wanted to thank those that have reviewed my story. Reviews rejuvenate my muse so please let me know what you think about this story. This chapter will switch between Marty and Todd's point of view. **_

_Marty's Point of view_

I woke up feeling sore and empty and I knew instantly that something was wrong. I looked around and realized that I was in a hospital room and then I remembered that I had fallen down the stairs. "The baby, John please tell me that the baby is okay," I stated as soon as I locked eyes with John.

John couldn't look me in the eyes and I knew that I was correct and that something was terribly wrong. "I'm sorry Marty, the baby didn't make it."

"The baby's gone," I repeated feeling as if I had been crushed. I couldn't breathe, I was finally happy and just like that my happiness was snatched away from me.

"Do you remember what happened? I found you on the bottom of the stairs? Did you lose your balance and fall?"

"No, I was pushed." I could remember that I had felt somebody put their hands on me, "I didn't see who, but I definitely felt a push from behind."

"Somebody pushed you, but who would want to hurt you? Did you have any arguments with anybody?"

"I argued with Natalie. I overheard her telling Brody that she would still be with you if I hadn't gotten pregnant."

"She said that."

I could tell that John was getting frustrated and angry trying to figure out who would have the motive to push me down a flight of stairs.

"Do you think that she pushed you?" John asked

"I don't know. Natalie flat out told me that the only reason that you were with me was because of the baby. Now there's no baby. Did she want to be with you bad enough that she pushed me? I don't know," I said as my voice began to break.

"I'm upsetting you. We can talk about this at a better time," John said as he placed his hand on my shoulder to comfort me.

I felt like I was drowning and there wasn't enough air. The walls were closing in on me but I needed to focus on something other than the pain. I needed to find out who killed my child. My child deserved justice and I was going to make damn sure that they got it.

"I'm fine. Let's talk about this now, there's never going to be a better time. Tomorrow our child will still be gone." John looked down, he looked devastated and I just wanted to make things better for him, but I couldn't.

"I promise you that I will find out whoever is responsible for this and make them pay even if it was Natalie. Were you pushed right after your confrontation with Natalie or was it later?"

"It was later. I went back to my office so that I could call you and then Todd came barging in."

"What did he want?"

"He thinks that Cole is cheating on Starr, but I told him that it must be a misunderstanding but he didn't want to hear it, he just wanted to blame me." I could hear Todd's words echoing in my head. "He wanted me and this child and Cole to disappear. He said that I couldn't be happy while he was so miserable. He blames me for his problems with Tea and Dani. It's possible I guess," I stated thinking out loud wondering if Todd would push me down the stairs. I knew that he had done worse to me, but we had come a long way since college and I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. I wanted to believe that he would never intentionally hurt me again, but I couldn't.

"What's possible?" John asked

"Todd could have pushed me. I baited him, I told him that there was nothing that he could do to take away our happiness. He said we'll see. I left my office shortly after that and then I was pushed."

"That bastard, as if he hasn't done enough to hurt you. If he did this, I swear, he will pay," John said as he grabbed my hand. I squeezed his hand back.

"I know that this is hard on you too."

"We'll get through this, I promise."

I wanted to believe John, but his promises seemed empty and all I wanted to do was die. I turned in the other direction. I couldn't face John any more; the pain in his eyes was killing me. I closed my eyes hoping that this was a terrible nightmare, a nightmare that I would soon wake from.

_Todd's point of view_

I went back to my office at the Sun hoping that I could focus on work. I needed a distraction; I could still hear the ugly things that I had said to Marty. It was crazy. I got so angry with her, I almost lost control. Why did she always have to push my buttons? Why couldn't she take my side just once? Cole was the bastard that was cheating on my daughter, I just wanted Marty to rein in her son, but she couldn't see that I was right about him, or maybe she didn't want to see.

Marty accused me of being jealous of her and John's relationship. She was right, I was jealous. They were going to have a baby and they seemed so happy. It had taken me a long time to move on with my life after John had told her the truth and I had lost Marty to him, but I was able to do it. Tea was my rock, my salvation, she saved me in my darkest hour, but I couldn't be with her as long as my daughter hated me. She would never accept me as long as she saw me as the man that I used to be. Marty could have fixed it for me, all I wanted her to do was to tell Dani that I wasn't that same man and that she had forgiven me, but she refused to talk to her. She always had to make things so damn difficult.

I took a drink of my scotch. I had been hitting the bottle, wanting to do everything that I could to stop the movie of Marty and I's relationship from playing in my head. I felt sickened at the depth of my anger. I even had the nerve to tell Tea that I wished that Marty was dead. It wasn't true not really, I didn't want Marty dead, I still cared for her and a part of me would always love her. No, I didn't want Marty dead; I wanted my past with her to be dead. I was tired of being the town rapist and I was tired of never being able to live down that image. No matter how much I had changed, it never seemed to be enough.

I sat down in my chair, and began to look over the front page layout when Tea came bursting in.

"I can't believe that you did this. It's okay we can fix this. Just tell me that you didn't do this."

"Do what?" I asked quizzically.

"Did you push Marty down those stairs?"

"What stairs, what are you talking about?" I asked beginning to get worried. Did something happen to Marty after I left her office?

"Marty fell down a flight of stairs."

"Is she hurt?"

"Enough to be in the E.R."

"Marty's not really the clumsy type, maybe she tripped over her own self-righteousness," I said trying to cut the tension that was building by making one of my famous smart ass remarks.

"She didn't fall; she's saying that she was pushed."

"Marty said I pushed her," I said becoming even angrier. Marty had to know that I would never push her down a stair case.

"No, she's saying that somebody pushed her."

"Oh, I see, you think I pushed Marty don't you," I said turning my anger on Tea. Tea was supposed to know me, and yet she thought that I was guilty of pushing Marty. She didn't know me, like I thought she did, once again nobody could see the good that was in me and I always became suspect number one when anything bad ever happened in this town. At least Marty had been given plenty of reasons to doubt me, but Tea, she was supposed to be my champion.

"I'm going to ask you once more, Todd, did you push Marty."

"Yes, I pushed Marty."

"I can't believe you. Okay tell me everything that happened between you and Marty," Tea stated already going into lawyer mode.

"I didn't push Marty."

"You just said you did."

"I just told you what you wanted to hear. You've already made up your mind about me. Why are you even here? Get out."

"I want to help you Todd."

"Go to hell."

"Todd, in all the years that I've known you I've never heard you wish that Marty was dead, but I heard you tonight after your argument with her, now she's taken a spill down the stairs and I'm not supposed to believe that you wanted to hurt her."

"Right now, the only one I want to hurt is you," I said as I grabbed her arms and shoved her towards my door. "I said get out," I yelled.

Tea left and I was once again alone. The guilt was overtaking me now. I had said the words and now Marty was hurt. It was true that I hadn't pushed Marty, but I had wished for her to leave, to disappear. I had wished her dead and now she was hurt. I had to find out how bad the damage was and what happened to her. I called the hospital, but the stupid receptionist didn't know anything. I clunk to my bottle of Scotch like it was a security blanket wishing that this nightmare would just end.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

AN: The following chapter is written in Hannah's point of view.

I went up to Cole and Starr's apartment, we had previously made plans to study together for one of our college classes, but of course I was going to use the time effectively to cause tension between the two star crossed lovers Cole and Starr. I found everything about Cole and Starr's relationship to be disgusting.

I was about to knock on the door when I heard them having a lovers spat. I leaned in closer hoping to get a better idea of what they were fighting about. "Your dad pushed my mom, Starr."

"You don't have proof. Marty didn't see who pushed her and I believe that my dad is telling me the truth. He swore to me that he didn't do it."

"How many times has he lied to you before? How many chances are you going to give the guy? He hates my mom and he has made it his life's mission to destroy her. He fought with her, threatened her and pushed her. My little brother or sister is dead because of him and he needs to pay for that," I heard Cole say. This argument was going better than I expected. I knew that Cole would always take his mother's side and Starr usually always defended daddy dearest. Sooner or later they were bound to end up on opposite sides considering the nature of their parent's relationship with one another.

"I got to get to class Cole, but please don't do anything reckless until we have all the facts. I am certain that my dad is innocent," I heard Starr say. I quickly ran around the corner and waited for Starr to leave. Starr left slamming the door behind her.

I went and knocked on the door and Cole invited me in.

"I know that we have plans to study Hannah, but I'm not in the mood."

"What's going on, you look so sad, is there anything that I can do to help?" I said in my most sincere voice.

Cole let out an exasperated sigh and then sat down on the couch. "Starr and I just had a fight about our parents."

I decided that this was the best time to drop the bomb that would destroy Starr's and Cole's relationship and put Starr's dad exactly where he belongs. "Cole, there's something I need to tell you," I said looking down at the floor, hopefully giving the impression that I felt bad.

"What's going on, Hannah?"

"I know who pushed your mom down the stairs. I'm so sorry, I was too late, I couldn't stop him. I should have helped her, but you have to understand I was terrified that he would come after me next," I said and then I began to cry. I had always had a talent for crying on demand and now was the perfect opportunity to exploit my skill so that my confession would appear to be heartfelt.

"Hannah, what do you mean? What happened?"

I took a deep breath and began to tell Cole the story that I had rehearsed a thousand times. "I was at the hospital, I went there to make an appointment with your mom, but she wasn't at her office. I saw her walking down the hall so I went after her, but then I saw that Mr. Manning was following her as well. He followed her into the stairwell and then he pushed her down the stairs. He turned around and saw me, and I got scared and ran off. I'm sorry that I left her, but by the time that I went back for her she was gone."

Cole came up and he gave me a hug, "thanks Hannah, for coming forward. Don't worry I will keep you safe from Todd. He will pay for what he did to my mom."

I was ecstatic the sucker believed me. This was too easy; soon I would accomplish everything that I had set out to destroy. Cole and Starr would be broken up soon and they would finally get what they deserved. I hated Cole and Starr, they deserved, every bit of misery that was coming their way. They didn't deserve the life I was supposed to have if things had turned out differently. "What are we going to do Cole?" I innocently whispered.

"Watch Hope, I have to go see someone, I'll be back in a little bit," Cole said and then he left me all alone with his innocent child.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

_AN: This chapter will alternate between Marty and Hannah's point of view._

_Marty's point of view_

I woke up; John was still asleep; he had his hand resting on my stomach. It was a sleeping position that John and I had grown comfortable with when I was pregnant. John wanted to be as close to the baby as he could be and even though I had told him that it was too soon for there to be movement, he was convinced that he would feel the stirrings of life that I had within me at any moment. He had told me once that he didn't want to miss a moment. Today there was nothing for John to feel, nothing for me to feel but emptiness.

I thought about all the things that we would be missing. John had missed the baby's earlier ultrasounds so he never got to hear the baby's heart beat. I wanted to see the look in his face when he first heard the pitter patter of our child's little heart. Now there was just silence. I thought of all the baseball games that we would miss out on if it had turned out to be a boy or the ballet lessons that she would never attend. I wanted to stop these thoughts. I had to stop these thoughts from coming. Nothing was going to bring back my child.

There was a knock on the door so I slipped out of bed as quietly as I could, hoping that I wouldn't wake John, this was hard on him too. I could feel him tossing and turning all night and I knew that he slept just as well as I did. I opened the door and saw that Cole had come to see us. He hadn't been taking the news of the miscarriage well and he was so angry when I had told him that I had been pushed. He had convinced himself that Todd was responsible.

"Cole, come on in,"

Cole walked into our living room and was looking around. He seemed upset; I could feel the waves of anger coming off of him.

"Is John here?"

"He's sleeping, why?" I asked my curiosity getting the best of me.

"Go wake him up; I have something important to tell the both of you."

"Cole, what's going on?"

"I'll explain when John is here."

I went into our bedroom and shook John.

"Marty, what's going on? Are you in any pain?" He asked sitting up in bed looking at me with such concern in his eyes.

"Coles here he says that there is something important that he needs to discuss with us."

John stepped out of our bed and we went into the living room.

"Okay Cole, John's here, what did you need to speak with us about?"

"I know that Todd pushed you."

I let out a deep breath of frustration. "Cole we've already discussed this, there is no proof that Todd had anything to do with my fall."

"You're wrong, I have proof."

"Cole what are you talking about?" John asked.

"My friend Hannah went to go see mom at the hospital, she saw her leave her office and she saw Todd following you into the stairwell. Hannah went after you because she wanted to speak with you, she got to the stairwell just in time to see Todd push mom. He's guilty, John you have to arrest him. You have to make him pay; I swear if you don't I will."

"Cole, promise me that you will let John handle this. I don't want you going anywhere near Todd."

"I can't promise you that mom, if the law doesn't make him pay then I swear I'll kill him myself. He will never hurt you again."

I understood Cole's anger; I was angry and frustrated myself. I wanted to hurt Todd like he had hurt me. Todd had hurt me again; after everything that we had been through, he hadn't changed, he would never change and I was still paying the price for his inability to control his anger.

"Where is Hannah?" John asked.

"She's at my apartment watching Hope."

"Come on Cole, I want to go with you and talk with your friend my self."

John kissed me and told me that they would be back later and then they left. I was glad that John and Cole had gone. I was leaving myself and I didn't think that they would like where I was going, but I needed to go. I needed to see that son of a bitch and let him know that I wouldn't rest until he had paid for everything that he had done to me.

_Hannah's point of view_

Hope was sitting on the floor playing with some of her toys. She was so innocent and vulnerable and she seemed so happy. I felt envious of her, even though her parents were complete losers and had already made lots of mistakes were she was concerned, all she knew was that they loved her. I had to reluctantly give Starr and Cole credit, Hope, seemed like a healthy well adjusted child, but that was now when she was young, and didn't know any better. Sooner or later Hope would grow up and realize what kind of family she was born into. I knew all too well what it was like to have happiness and stability yanked away. Two years ago I found out I was adopted and my birth mother threw me out like I was yesterday's trash. My father never knew I existed, but everything that I had found out about him made my skin crawl. I would do anything to keep Hope from going through the same hell as me, and as soon as I was done with my plans I would make sure that Hope never had to suffer the way that I did. I had already felt so connected with her and it was amazing how much of a bond we had already created in the short time that we knew each other.

I went and picked up Hope and cradled her. I wanted to just leave this hell hole of a town with her and never look back, but the timing wasn't right. There were things that I needed to take care of first. "I'm doing this for you, Hope, your parents shouldn't be together, they should have never gotten together, given Todd and Marty's disgusting relationship, but I'm taking care of it. To tell you the truth, kid, you should have never been born just like me. I wish that your parents never found out that you were alive and living with Jessica. She would have taken care of you and loved you and you would have grown up so happy."

I let out a deep breath in frustration, "Oh well, I can't do anything about that now, but don't worry as soon as I am done with my plans for the Thornhart, Saybrook and Manning clan I will take you with me. Would you like that Hope? You could come and live with Aunt Hannah and I will treat you just like the princess that you are."

Starr opened up the front door. She was pissed to see me. I wasn't her favorite person and for good reason. I had been subtly flirting with Cole for weeks and it had been driving a wedge in between them. The very idea of flirting with Cole made me sick, but it was a sacrifice I needed to make. The ends justified the means. I had to get close to Cole, so that I could get closer to Marty, the woman, I hated most in this world.

"Hannah, what are you doing here with my daughter? Where is Cole?" Starr asked as she slammed the door behind her.

"He told me that he had to take care of something."

"Please give me my daughter," Starr said as she opened her arms.

I handed over Hope.

"You can go now, I'm here."

"I'd rather stay and wait for Cole, he was upset when he left and he might need somebody he can talk to about it. He's not taking his mother's miscarriage well and when I told him that I saw your father push Marty down the stairs he lost it and took off. I'm just really worried about him and want to be here when he returns if it's all right with you. "

"You saw my dad push Marty?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I know it's not easy to hear but your father is a sick man and he deserves to pay for what he did to Dr. Saybrook. Look, I know that it's got to be difficult having a man like Todd Manning as your father, and lord knows he's done plenty of reasons to hurt you over the years, and yet you always seem to give him another chance, but this, pushing a pregnant woman down the stairs, it's really just unforgiveable."

"I don't believe you, I think that you want Cole for yourself and you're trying to use Marty's fall as a way to get in between us."

Starr was half right, I was using Marty's fall to cause tension between Starr and Cole, but I didn't want him for myself. I would be truly disturbed if I wanted Cole that way, considering how we were related. I did want to hurt them though and when I took Hope it would crush them the way that they deserved. "I'm sorry you feel that way, honestly, Cole's not my type and I would never do anything to hurt either one of you," I said putting on the show of a concerned friend.

"Hannah, I think you should leave."

"Okay, I don't want to upset you any more than I already have. I'll go, but please Starr, tell Cole to call me. I'm really worried about him."

I was getting ready to leave when John and Cole came in. It looks like my afternoon just got more interesting as the next phase of my plan was about to begin.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

_AN: This chapter will alternate between Todd and Hannah's point of view. _

_Todd's point of view_

I realized that I must have fallen asleep at work. I woke up with a piece of scratch paper stuck to my face and I was still holding the bottle of Scotch. I poured myself another glass of the poison, not that there was much left, but whatever I drank last night wasn't enough. There was no amount of Alcohol that was going to remove Marty from my mind; she was all that I could think about.

"You can't go in there, you don't have an appointment," I could hear my receptionist's nasally voice being carried from behind my door. She was so loud and annoying today; her voice was like fingernails down the chalkboard, so I made a mental note to dismiss her for the day. My hangover was bad enough; I didn't want or need her to make it worse.

"I don't care that I don't have an appointment. Mr. Manning will make time for me." I heard Marty reply. She was angry, probably here to confront me about our argument, but I didn't care. She could yell at me all she wanted. I deserved it for the way that I had treated her. I opened the door, "It's okay Irene, I have a lot to discuss with Marty. Go ahead and take the rest of the day off."

"Are you sure Mr. Manning, I don't mind staying if you need me."

"I don't need you today. I'll see you tomorrow," I said. "Come in." I opened the door open for Marty.

She walked into my office and I shut the door and turned around to face her. "Can I get you anything, a drink, perhaps?

"No thank you, I'm not here to drink with you, and besides, it looks like you drank enough for the both of us," she said as she motioned towards the almost empty bottle of Scotch on my desk, "What's the matter Todd, got a guilty conscience?"

"How are you feeling? Tea told me that you fell down the stairs. How are you and the baby doing?"

"There is no baby. Not anymore. You did such a great job when you pushed me down the stairs, you almost succeeded in getting rid of me, but not quite, "Marty said as she walked up to me, "too bad really, cause I swear to you, I will make sure you pay for this," She said as she pushed me.

"That's all good Marty, but there's one problem, I didn't push you. I would never hurt you." I said trying my best to get her to see that I was innocent. The pain and anger was written all over her face. The grief was tearing her up inside and I would do anything to take it away from her.

"Oh right, shall we count the ways that you have hurt me over the years."

"That was a long time ago Marty, I've changed since then."

"Obviously not, you came to my office, you threatened me and tried to bully me into disappearing, and when I refused to leave town and to give into your demands then you follow me and push me down a flight of stairs. From where I'm standing you haven't changed one bit. You're still the same arrogant son of a bitch who thinks that you can take your anger out on me anytime you feel like it. This time you went too far you killed an innocent child, and you will pay for it."

"I'm innocent. I would never push you down a flight of stairs. Yes, I was angry about Cole and yes, I regret that we had that stupid argument, but I did not push you. I don't blame you for wanting justice for your child and wanting the person responsible to pay but that person was not me."

"That's not what Hannah is saying. Hannah told Cole that she saw you push me down a flight of stairs."

"She's lying."

"What possible reason would she have for lying?"

"I don't know, but I will find out."

"Between your word and hers, I'll believe her any day. You've proved time and time again that you're a gifted liar, and frankly I just don't trust you," Marty said as she headed for the door.

"Wait Marty, I promise you on Starr's life that I didn't do this, but I will find out why that bitch is lying."

"One more thing before I go, you will never ever have what you want from me."

"What do I want from you, Marty?"

"Redemption, I can't give that to you Todd, I won't. Not after everything that you've taken from me. You took my self respect, self worth and dignity away and now you've taken my child," Marty said and then she left.

She was right I did want redemption from her. She was the only one that could give it to me because she was the one that I had hurt the most. I would always hate myself as long as she hated me. There was a void in me that could not be filled by Tea or Blair no matter how much they tried. The only person that ever seemed to fill that void was Marty. I needed her forgiveness like I needed air. I had to prove that I was innocent and in order to do that I had to find out what Hannah had to gain from lying.

_Hannah's point of view_

Cole and John came into the apartment. "Hannah, this is John, he has a couple of questions to ask you," Cole said.

John held out his hand and I shook it and then we sat down on the couch. "Hannah, this is very important, I need to know everything you remember about Marty's fall," John stated. I almost felt bad for the guy. The look of desperation and sadness made me feel guilty. I just wanted to hurt Marty; John hadn't done anything to deserve this pain, other than get involved with the wrong woman. In all honesty, John hadn't factored into my decision, he didn't really seem like the fatherly type of guy. The little that I did know about John Mcbain was that he was a womanizer who had issues with commitment. I honestly thought I was doing the guy a favor; the child would just be one more person that he couldn't commit to. Maybe I had him all wrong and he could have changed for his kid.

I couldn't look him in the eye after everything that I had cost him. I fidgeted in my seat and cleared my throat, "I went to see Dr. Saybrook at her office."

"Why?" John asked.

"I just broke up with my boyfriend and was having a difficult time with it and I wanted to get her advice. I saw her leave her office, she looked upset and agitated. I was about to call out for her, but then I saw Mr. Manning. He looked angry, and he caught me off guard. He started to follow Dr. Saybrook out into the stairwell. I was scared that he would do something to her. I know all about their history with one another and I thought that if I was there that maybe he wouldn't hurt her. I'm sorry. I was too late. I arrived into the stairwell just in time to see Mr. Manning push her down the stairs. He turned around and he saw me and I got scared and ran off. I ran as fast as I could but I knew that I had to turn back and check on her. I was still so scared, so I waited for about fifteen minutes and then I went back. By that time Marty was gone. I know that Dr. Saybrook lost her child and honestly I'll never forgive myself for turning my back on her," I said as I looked up at John, "I'm sorry about your loss as well." The last statement that I had made was about the only true thing that I had told all night. Apparently I took more after my mother than I wanted to. We were both gifted liars and knew how to play the sympathy card.

"Thank you for your condolences. Would you be willing to testify in a court of law?"

"Of course, Mr. Manning obviously has a lot of temper issues and I will do anything that I can to help protect this community from him."

Cole squeezed my hand in support. It was nauseating, but I smiled at him anyways and squeezed his hand back to give the impression that I appreciated his support. Starr got of the couch and went into her room, slamming the door behind her.

"Sorry about that, I don't think that this is easy for Starr, hearing about her father and all that," Cole said.

"It's okay Cole, I understand. Nobody would want a father like Mr. Manning."

"I got to get going and get back to Marty." John stated as he headed for the exit.

"I'll follow you out. Bye Cole, tell Starr I hope that she feels better soon." I said as I walked out of the room.

John and I rode down the elevator in an awkward silence. John turned to me, "thank you, for coming forward, justice is the only thing left that I can give Marty right now."

"Give her my best." I said as I walked out of the apartment building and headed on my way. Despite the annoying feelings of guilt, today had been perfect. I had been playing Starr and Cole beautifully for months and it was all about to pay off. My only hope was that once I had gotten my revenge, the anger and obsession that I had for Marty and Todd would disappear and maybe then I could get my life back.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

_AN: The following chapter is written in Todd's point of view._

She would be here any minute. The bitch was trying to frame me, but why? What did she have to gain from all of this? I knew that she was hung up on Cole, which was obvious when I walked in on them as she was prancing around half naked, but would she really lie about something so important in order to drive a wedge between my daughter and Cole. The way I saw it, there was three possibilities behind the lie. One, she was just a crazy psychotic whack job who was so obsessed with Cole that she would do anything, even lie, if it meant that she could have him. The second possibility was that she really did see who pushed Marty, but had decided to lie about it, perhaps Cole had convinced her to lie. Perhaps he saw it as a chance to finally make me pay for hurting his mom. The last option was that she pushed Marty herself and decided to pin it on me.

There was a knock on my door. It was Lenny, one of my employees; I had paid him a million dollars to bring Hannah to me. It was well worth it, I had promised Marty that I would find out who had hurt her and why she was lying. I wouldn't break my promise to Marty and I was actually looking forward to seeing this slut sweat it out while I interrogated her. I wasn't going to hurt her, not yet anyways, but I was going to make sure that she knew damn well who she was messing with and how much power I had.

"Put her over there, Lenny, and leave Hannah and me alone. I don't want there to be any witnesses in case this gets messy," I said as I shot Hannah a dagger. Lenny walked Hannah over to the couch and put the gun that he was holding against her back in his holster inside his coat.

"I'll be outside, Mr. Manning, if she gives you any trouble just holler."

"You know this is kidnapping right? Not too smart, with all the legal trouble you've got coming up," Hannah said.

She sat on my couch calm and collected. She wasn't even scared; she was either really brave or crazier than I thought. "I know exactly what I'm doing, but what about you? Do you know who you're messing with? You seem like a smart girl, so I'm sure you did your research, and know what I am capable of when I lose my temper. I have a way of making people disappear when the mess with me."

"Oh yeah, I know all about the town rapist, but I don't scare off easy, and somebody's got to protect Dr. Saybrook from you."

"I didn't hurt Marty."

"Which time? Cause from what I've been reading, that's all you've done. Let's see there was the rape in college, the attack in the alley behind Rodi's where you got that infamous scar for trying to rape her yet again, there was the time that you attacked her again at the chapel and killed Suede, and all these years later, you kidnap her and rape her again. Here's what I think happened. You found out that she was pregnant with John's child and you got all jealous and possessive. Marty had the nerve to move on with her life from you, you couldn't have that so you fought with her in her office. You told her she couldn't be happy if you were miserable and then you followed her and pushed her down the stairs."

Damn, this girl had done her research, she knew more about me then I knew about her. "Once again, I didn't push Marty down the stairs."

"I saw what I saw and no amount of threatening, interrogating, or harassment is going to change that. This time will be different; you'll go to prison where you belong, where you should have stayed the first time around," Hannah said like the cold hearted bitch she was.

"I think I'll be on my way Mr. Manning, we have nothing more to discuss, so here are your options, you can let me go and I'll think about keeping this little meeting to myself just to show you what a good sport I am, or you can kill me, because that's the only way you're going to keep me from leaving and testifying. Do it, I dare you cause if you don't I'll make sure my testimony puts a needle in your arm, after all, given your past history with D.A. Hannon, I'm sure she'll use any excuse to go for the death penalty," she said as she walked out of my front door.

Hannah was a good liar, and she obviously didn't scare easy, but she had slipped up. I watched her very carefully; she had the look of someone that was crazed with the notion of revenge. This wasn't about breaking up Cole and Starr. The look on her face as she discussed testifying said it all. This was personal, this was payback against me. She wanted me to fry, she wanted me to suffer but why did she hate me? She was a complete stranger to me until I interrupted her and Cole from whatever it was that they were doing. There had to be something in her past, something that would give her a reason to detest me. I picked up the phone and began to dial the number of my personal P.I. I was going to have him do a little digging into Hannah's past and find out what skeletons awaited to be discovered.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

AN: This chapter is written in Marty's point of view. 

I woke up with a need to go see Cole. I had been wanting to see him for a while now, but I had been putting it off. I didn't know what I could say or do to ease his pain or my own. He was devastated by the loss of his brother or sister and even though he tired to put on a brave face in my presence I could see that the anger and disappointment was eating away at him.

I pulled out the backpack out of the closet so that I could pack it with books and some candy that I thought that Hope would enjoy. I was placing the bags inside the bag when I noticed a "Logans" shopping bag wedged inside the back pack. I pulled it out and was devastated when I saw that John must have purchased the baby a little tiny baseball outfit.

"What's wrong?" John asked as he came into the room.

"Nothing really, I just found this," I said as I held up the tiny uniform.

"Oh. I'm so sorry, I forgot that I bought that," John said as he rushed to my side.

I grew irritated. I didn't need him to apologize, he hadn't done anything wrong. I knew that John was honestly trying to help, but I felt like he was always trying to find ways of making me whole again. I just wanted his support; I did not want him to save me. I let out a breath trying to calm myself before I responded. "John, it's okay, I was meaning to put away some of the things that I bought for the baby as well."

"You shouldn't have to do that. If you tell me where it is I can put it away for you."

"I'd rather do it on my own. I need to say goodbye to my child. You can't take this pain away, no matter how hard you try."

"I loved our child too. Maybe we could try to make another baby; it could help us deal with what we lost."

"You're just not getting it, are you? I don't want to have another baby with you right now. This child can not be replaced. He or she was a miracle that we can never get back thanks to Todd," I snapped at John.

"I'm not trying to replace our child. I'm grieving too. I just want to help you."

"I'm sorry, I know you're hurting too, but you can't help me right now. This is just something that I have to work through on my own. Please, I just want to be alone right now."

Okay, I have to go to work anyways. I'll see you later tonight," John said and then he kissed me on the cheek and left.

I went through the items that I had purchased for my baby. I had bought a baby blanket and a stuffed bear that had a recording of the baby's heartbeat inside. There was a life. Tears welled up as I listened to the baby's heart beat one last time, and then carefully placed everything inside the box. I was manufacturing the whole in my heart. I couldn't throw away the box not when it was all that was remaining. This was all I had of my child now, useless things; they were just things that had no purpose other than as a memory of the life that was supposed to have been if things had only turned out differently. I placed the sealed box up on the top shelf in the closet and went and laid down on the bed.

I stopped by John's office a couple hours later. I wanted to apologize for the way that I had treated him earlier. He wasn't in, so I thought that I would leave him a note on his desk, however, I quickly realized that I hadn't been the only one to stop by wanting to see John. I saw a note from Natalie lying on his desk. I picked it up and began to read:

_My Dearest John,_

_I know that this is an inappropriate time, but I am leaving for London, but before _

_I go, I needed you to know how I feel. I am still in love with you John, I have always loved you and I will continue to love you. If any part of you feels the same way that I do meet me at Rodi's at midnight, if you are not there then I want you to find happiness. _

_ Love, Natalie_

I dropped the letter to the floor in shock and disbelief. I was angry and disappointed; this was the last thing that I needed to find. Natalie's words had hit me. For me, in this moment, truth was like waking. She had told me before I miscarried that the baby was the only reason that John was still with me and that he would have never initiated kissing her if he loved me. I thought about John and realized that I had to let him go. Natalie was right, he had unresolved feelings for her, and I just didn't have the energy to make our relationship work anymore. The tension between John and me had been building for months; I simply just didn't want to face it, because I didn't want to lose what we could have.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" John asked as he came into his office.

"I came to see you, but so did Natalie. Here you should read this." I said as I handed the letter over to John.

John read the letter and the look on his face only confirmed what I already knew to be true. John cared about me but he loved Natalie. "I don't know what to say, I'm sorry, Natalie shouldn't have written this, she knows that I'm with you."

"Not anymore."

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you breaking up with me?" John asked.

"Go to Natalie. She's who you love. You shouldn't have to settle and I deserve somebody's whole heart, and you just don't have that to offer me."

"We weren't just about the baby. I cared about you before the baby and I care about you now."

"You may care about me, but you love Natalie, otherwise you wouldn't have kissed her."

"I thought that we had gotten past all that."

"No, we were just trying to make it work, but I can't try anymore. I'm too tired and a relationship shouldn't be this hard to maintain."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I'm going to be fine. I was packing things away anyways, I may as well finish. I'll be out of your place tonight. I should go and so should you, someone is waiting for you."

"I don't want to lose you," John said as he grabbed my hand.

"You won't, I know it's cliché, but we'll remain friends. Bye John," I said and then I pulled away and left.

I knew that I had done the right thing, but it still hurt to say goodbye. I had been holding onto him for far too long, because, I didn't want to lose anything else. More importantly I didn't like the insecurity and the fear that had been driving me for months. I had to focus on getting justice for my child, I had no room for dealing with John's insecurities and unresolved feelings.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

_AN: This chapter will alternate between Marty and Todd's point of view._

Marty's point of view

I knocked on Cole's apartment, he was the one good thing I had left in my life and I needed to see him to make sure he knew how much I loved him. Starr opened up the door.

"Marty, it's good to see you, come on in."

"Is Cole here?" I asked as I walked into the apartment.

"No, he's not here right now, but I'll tell him that you stopped by."

"Okay, I'll come by later," I said as I headed to leave.

"Wait Marty, there's something that I wanted to talk to you about," Starr said.

"What is it sweetie?" I asked as I sat down on their couch.

"My dad was arrested last night."

"Good," I said then I realized that Starr was probably already upset about her father and she shouldn't have to hear me rant about him and how much he deserved to pay for taking away my happiness. "I'm sorry Starr; I shouldn't have said that, maybe we shouldn't talk about your father."

"I know that my father's hurt you in the past, but he didn't do this, he wouldn't push you down the stairs. I think that Hannah is lying and possibly even pushed you herself."

I took a deep breath as memories of my fall flashed in my mind. "Why do you think that she pushed me?"

"I don't know yet, all I know is that she seems desperate to break up Cole and me, she's unstable and for some reason has latched onto Cole. I think that she thought that she could use my dad and your relationship with one another to drive a wedge between me and Cole."

"I don't know Starr that, sounds like a stretch. I know that you want to believe in your father's innocence and if you want to stand behind him that's your choice, but I just can't any more. I need justice for my child and right now there isn't any reason to doubt Hannah."

"I know that my dad has given you plenty of reasons to hate him and to doubt him, but I just want you to keep an open mind. You're a psychiatrist and know the way my father's mind works better than any one. Do you really think that he would push you down the stairs when you were pregnant just because you had an argument?"

"I don't know what to think, honestly, I don't want to believe that Todd would intentionally hurt me and kill my child, but I've been wrong about him before. I'll have to talk to Hannah, see if she is as troubled as you think she is."

"Oh she's definitely troubled, she tried to kill herself because our T.A. Ford dumped her. She swallowed a bottle of pills and Cole found her just in time. I think that she may have even attacked Ford."

"I see."

"Do you believe that my dad is innocent?"

"I'll talk to Hannah. I got to get going. Will you tell Cole to call me?"

"Yeah," Starr said as she walked me to the door. I sat in my car trying to figure out the best course of action. I still didn't know if breaking up Cole and Starr was Hannah's motive or if she pushed me down the stairs, but Starr was right I had to find out. I couldn't let an innocent man go down for a crime he didn't commit even if that man was Todd. I drove to the hospital and decided that I would talk to Ford and see what he had to say about his relationship with Hannah.

Todd's point of view

I sat on the bed in my old familiar cell and thought about that crazy bitch Hannah. I thought of all the ways I could exact my revenge. It wasn't just the fact that she was framing me, but I knew in my gut that she had pushed Marty. I knew that Hannah's motives were personal and that she hated me for some reason, but I couldn't remember ever meeting her before now. I couldn't stand being locked up. I had to get out where I could keep an eye on Marty; I had to make sure that she was safe. "Guard, I get a phone call," I yelled. The sooner I called Tea the sooner I would be out on bail.

"What's the matter Todd, being behind bars getting to you?" Cole taunted as he came into view. "You really should get used to it; you're finally going to go down for what you did to my mom. No saving salvation this time."

"I didn't do anything to your mom Cole. I wouldn't do something like that. I don't like you and you don't like me, but you need to listen to me. You need to keep an eye on your mom. She's not safe; the person who pushed her down the stairs could go after her again. You need to get her out of town until I can figure out what Hannah is up to."

"Hannah? What does Hannah have to do with anything?"

"She's a liar Cole? I thought that she was just an obsessed nut trying to break up you and Starr, but she's up to something else. I think that she pushed your mom and is trying to frame me for it. Promise me that you'll get your mom somewhere safe while I deal with Hannah." I hated asking that little twerp for any favors but I was desperate and I knew that the one thing that we had in common was that we both wanted Marty to be safe and happy.

"You're more delusional than I thought. There is no way in hell that Hannah had anything to do with pushing my mom down the stairs. You're going to stay away from Hannah and you're going to stay away from my mom. It's a beautiful day today, so I think that I'm going to take your daughter and grand-daughter to the park and enjoy my freedom while you rot here in the dark where you belong," Cole said as he walked out of the door.

Cole was so stupid, he was so blinded by his hatred for me that he couldn't see that Hannah was the real threat. I had to get out of here; there was no way in hell that I would let Marty pay for his stupidity and blind faith in Hannah.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

_AN: This chapter will alternate between Marty and Hannah's point of view._

**Marty's point of view**

I walked into Ford's room, he looked terrible. Somebody had done a real number on him. Ford opened his eyes as I walked in the room.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I have a couple of questions to ask you about Hannah," I stated as I sat next to Ford.

"What did that crazy bitch do now?"

"As far as I know nothing."

"Then why are you here?"

"A couple of weeks ago, I was pushed down a flight of stairs. Hannah claims that she saw the whole thing . I guess I just wanted to know whether or not she was trustworthy," I said as I took a deep breath. It was still very painful for me to talk about my fall.

"I don't know if Hannah is lying about what she saw. If you're asking me if she is capable of lying about something that important then yeah she is as long as there was something in it for her. I don't trust Hannah and I think that she could have even been responsible for what happened to me."

"You think that she attacked you?"I asked as I begun to think that Starr was right about Hannah.

"I don't have any proof, all I know is that when I ended things with her she went off the deep end. She would call me at all hours of the night saying that her life had no meaning without me in it. During the day she would follow me around. The night of my attack, she called me and told me that I would pay for abandoning her."

"Did you tell the police this? She needs to be in a hospital where she can't hurt anyone, "I stated. Hannah definitely sounded unstable and I didn't want her anywhere near my son or Starr.

"Yeah, but there's no proof. Hannah may be unstable, but she's very smart. When she called, it was from a different number every time."

"I see, thanks for answering my questions. I hope you feel better soon."

I headed out the door. I headed to my office to call John and Nora, I didn't trust that Hannah was telling the truth and I was determined to do everything that I could to make sure that the charges against Todd was dropped.

**Hannah's point of view**

I went to the hospital to check on Ford. I had lost my temper and I hurt him more than I intended. I loved Ford, he was my soul mate, we were absolutely perfect together and he was the closest thing that I had ever found in filling the void. He was afraid to let himself love me. His mother had left him when he was young and he was afraid to get to close to me, so he decided to end our relationship first. I tried to convince him that I would always be there for him, but he couldn't hear me, so he left me. I went over to his apartment to show him the error of his ways, but he was in bed with Jessica. He was too busy making love to her to notice me. I left and waited outside for Jessica to leave and then I went in and took out my anger on Ford. I felt bad, he had almost died and I would never be able to live with myself if he hadn't survived. When Ford lived, I knew that God had forgiven me and given me a second chance, now more than ever I was determined to win back Ford.

I stopped outside of his hospital room and was shocked that Marty was in there with him. What was she doing in there? I stuck around long enough to know that the bitch was doing everything she could to turn Ford against me. She wasn't going to get away with it. Hadn't she taken enough from me?

I went to her office and let myself in. Luckily it was late and everyone had left for the evening. Before I entered the office, I noticed that there weren't any security cameras. The hospital's lax security was once again working out to my advantage. I picked up the letter opener on her desk and waited.

I didn't have to wait long. When I heard her coming, I hid behind the door. I stuck the letter opener in her back. I thought it was poetic justice. She had stabbed me in the back by talking to Ford, I was simply returning the favor. She was passed out when I left; I debated whether I should make sure that she died. I decided not to try my luck. If fate was on my side, Marty would die a slow painful death, all alone. If she lived, then I would find other means to make her pay.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten:

_AN: This chapter is written in Todd's point of view_

I had been out of jail for an hour now. Tea had finally shown up and I was let out on bail. I needed to find Marty, I had a feeling that something was wrong, and I needed to make sure that she was okay. I called her several times, but all I got was her voicemail. I stopped by her apartment, but she wasn't home, so I decided to see if she was still at the hospital.

I headed into her office and knew that my worst fears had come true as soon as I had opened the door. Marty was on the floor, there was a letter opener in her back, and blood, there was so much blood. I ran over to her and placed my fingers on her wrist, hoping that I wasn't too late. She was breathing; she was still here with me. I pulled out my cell phone and called for an ambulance.

I wanted to pull out the letter opener, but I didn't want to hurt her, so I placed my hands over her back and tried to apply as much pressure as I could.

"It's okay Marty, help is on the way. Don't give up on me, I know how hard you can fight, so you fight to stay as much as you can," I said to her.

I didn't know if she could hear me, but I needed to tell her to fight. Marty was a survivor, she had survived the hell that I had put her through. She would survive this as well, she had to.

The paramedics showed up and took Marty to the hospital. I rode with her and watched them wheel her away into a room. I paced around the waiting room waiting for a doctor, a nurse, anybody to show up and to tell me something about Marty. While I waited, I wasted no time. I called my men and gave them orders about Hannah. I knew that bitch was responsible for what happened to Marty. I was determined to deliver the amount of pain that Marty had felt ten fold to her. She needed to learn that there were consequences and nobody hurt the people I cared about and lived to tell about it.

"Where's my mom Manning? What did you do to my mom this time?"Cole shouted as he came into the waiting room.

"I didn't do anything to your mom Cole? I told you that Hannah couldn't be trusted and to get your mom out of town, but you wouldn't listen and now your mother is paying the price for your foolishness," I screamed back.

I couldn't take Cole's attitude right now; I had warned him, he didn't listen and now Marty was hurt and if she died he would pay with his life.

The doctor came into the waiting room and went straight over to Cole.

"I am sorry, but your mom has lost a lot of blood. She will need a blood transfusion and unfortunately we don't have enough of her blood type in storage. What blood type are you?" I heard the doctor ask Cole.

"My mom and I don't have the same blood type. I'm not a match."

"I'm a match," I stated hoping that I could help Marty the way that she had helped me years ago.

"Todd this doesn't concern you. Go home," Cole ordered.

"Cole, I could help your mom."

"Right, like you did when you pushed her down the stairs. For all I know you're the one who stabbed her."

This bastard was really getting on my nerves, Marty was bleeding out and he was wasting time making accusations.

"God, you're so stupid. Think Cole. Why would I stab your mom in the back and then call the ambulance? If I stabbed her why would I offer to help save her?"

"Perhaps you feel guilty," Cole mumbled.

"Look I don't know what's going on between you two, but Cole we don't have time to waste. Your mom urgently needs a blood transfusion. Since she's unconscious and you're her next of kin we need you to sign off on it," The doctor explained.

"Cole, are you seriously going to stand by and let your mom die because of your hatred for me," I said in a last ditch effort to convince the brat to let me help.

"Fine, I'll sign what ever papers you need," Cole muttered and then glared at me.

The nurse showed me to a room where I donated the necessary blood that was needed for Marty.

Hours of uncomfortable silence went by as Cole and I waited for the doctor to come back out. Finally he came into the waiting room.

"The surgery was a success. Dr. Saybrook is awake and she's asking to see you Mr. Manning."

"I'm coming too Manning, so don't get any ideas," Cole spat out.

"I'm sorry, but I only want you're mother to have one visitor at a time," the doctor explained to Cole like he was a little child.

I walked into Marty's hospital room. She was connected to all these different tubes and she looked so weak, tired and fragile.

"The doctor said that you wanted to talk to me."

"I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry," Marty began to explain.

"Don't apologize to me Marty,"

"I should have never believed Hannah. She has to be lying. You didn't push me down the stairs," Marty continued.

"It's okay Marty, given our argument and history with one another I don't blame you for jumping to the worst conclusion about me. What happened to make you change your mind?"

"I talked to Ford about Hannah. He thinks that she attacked him. He told me that she stalked him, she's obviously troubled. I was on my way to my office so that I could call John and Nora to tell them what I found out. The next thing I remember is waking up here. The doctor told me that you helped save my life.

"Just returning the favor for all the times you've saved mine. I'm going to make her pay, I promise you, if Hannah had anything to do with attacking you, she will pay."

"Todd, we don't know if it was her, promise me that you'll let the police handle it. Don't do anything that you'll later regret."

"Sorry Marty, I can't do that. You deserve justice for your child and for what happened to you tonight and I promise you that you will get that," I said and then walked out the door before she talked me into changing my mind. I hated denying her anything, but Hannah needed to pay for the hell that she had put Marty and me through.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

AN: This chapter is written in Todd's point of view.

I walked into the abandoned warehouse that my men had stashed Hannah. It was the perfect location to interrogate her because of the privacy it offered. I needed answers and she was going to give them to me. She was tied to the chair, a gash on the side of her head. I had told my men to rough her up a little, just enough to give her a good scare, but from the look on her face, it wasn't working. She was grinning and had a look of amusement that unnerved me. She didn't appear to be afraid of anything.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you sent one of your thugs after me, so Mr. Manning, what do you want from me this time?"

"I want you to tell me the truth and I'm not leaving here until you do."

"The truth about what? I know plenty of truths, so you're going to have to be more specific," Hannah retorted obviously getting a kick out of playing her little games.

"Why did you push Marty down the stairs?"

"Once again, I saw you push her down the stairs and I'm not going to change my story regardless of how much you want me to."

"Why did you stab Marty?"

"Marty was stabbed? Did she die?" Hannah asked with a look of mock sincerity on her face.

"No she didn't die. I found her just in time."

The look on Hannah's face confirmed my suspicions. She stabbed Marty. She was a good liar but I saw a flash of disappointment when I told her that Marty would live.

"That's good. I'm glad that you were able to help her, not that you could ever make up for all the pain you caused her," Hannah said.

In that moment I knew that I had to kill Hannah, she was lying, she had pushed Marty. Marty lost her child because of this bitch. I needed to make her suffer the way that she had made Marty suffer, but I wanted to know what her motives were.

"I'm going to kill you Hannah, unless you tell me why you hurt Marty and framed me. If you tell me why you hurt Marty I'll let you go. Is it a deal?"

"No, I'd prefer it if you killed me. Go ahead and prove to me what a ruthless cold-hearted murderer you can be, but I'm warning you that once the truth comes out, you'll never be able to forgive yourself."

"I'll take that chance," I said as I placed my hands around her throat and begun to squeeze.

I squeezed until the color drained from Hannah's face and then I let go. I couldn't choke her because her gasping for air affected me. I felt a sudden urge to let her go. What if she was right? Would I regret killing her? If I didn't kill her, would I regret letting her live?

I walked away from her trying to come up with a plan of action when my phone rang. "Hello," I said into my cell phone.

"Mr. Manning, I'm glad I got hold of you. I was finally able to dig up useful information about Hannah O' Conner," Briggs my PI informed me.

"I'm listening."

"Hannah was adopted."

"I thought you said that you had useful information."

"You should also know that you know her birth mother."

"Well, who is it?" I asked beginning to lose my patience.

"Marty Saybrook."

"Are you sure?" I asked. Briggs had to be wrong. Marty couldn't be Hannah's mother.

"I'm positive, I'm looking at the Birth Certificate right now."

I hung up the phone and walked back towards Hannah.

"You know, don't you?" Hannah asked as I finally looked at her.

"Know what?"

"What you were looking for, the truth, a motive behind my supposed attacks. Did you finally figure me out," Hannah taunted.

"Were you adopted? Is Marty your mother?"

"It's possible."

"When were you born Hannah?" I asked trying to figure out the timeline. Hannah was the right age, and if Marty really was her mother there was a chance I could be her father.

"I was born January 15th, 9 months from the night of the spring fling, so if Marty was my mother, then you could be my father, but then again so could Zach or Powell, but Marty's not my mom so you have nothing to worry about. I was never adopted."

"Then why did my P.I. tell me you were."

"Beats me, perhaps he couldn't find any dirt on me, so he made up a story."

I needed to find out the truth. Hannah could be my daughter. I went over to Hannah and pulled out a piece of her hair.

"Ouch, what was that for?"

"I can't trust you Hannah, so I'm going to run a DNA test and find out if Marty's your mom and while I'm at it, I'll compare it against my DNA as well." I said.

I told my men that were guarded outside the door to keep an eye on her and then I took off to the hospital to see Marty.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

AN: This chapter is written in Marty's point of view.

I woke up and found Todd sitting by my bedside. Something seemed to be bothering him. "How long have you been here?"

"For about a half hour"

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"You need your sleep and I needed time to figure out what to do next."

"Todd, what are you talking about? What is going on?" I asked, feeling agitated, something was clearly eating away at him and I had a sick feeling that it involved me.

" Marty, I'm not sure what the best thing for me to do is, so I'm just going to ask you to be straight with me."

"What do you want to know?"

"After Spring Fling, did you become pregnant? Did you have a baby girl? Did somebody adopt your child?"

I couldn't believe it after all these years of keeping my secret safe, he had somehow figured out that I had a child and gave her away. I didn't know what to do or say. The seconds that passed by seemed like hours as he stared at me waiting for a answer. "Why are you asking me this?" I finally asked.

"My P.I. called me. It turns out that Hannah was adopted and your name is listed on the birth certificate."

"Hannah's my daughter?"

"So it's true. You had a daughter and gave her up? Was she mine?"

I couldn't keep the truth a secret any longer. If Hannah was my daughter then most likely she already knew that I was her mother. I decided to come clean with Todd. "It's true. I found out I was pregnant a month after Spring Fling. I don't know if you're the father. She could just as easily be Zach's or Powell's."

"Marty, I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but are you sure she was concieved the night that I raped you?"

"I'm positive. The last person that I slept with prior to the night you raped me was you and that was months before Spring Fling."

"Why didn't you tell me? I had a right to know." Todd asked.

"Are you serious? You raped me. You took away my rights. What did you expect me to do? You hurt me in the worst possible way and because of that I had to give up my child to protect her. It was the only way I could keep her safe," I spat out.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I'm sorry about so many things. If I could change that night I would, but I can't. The only thing that I can do is try to be a better person. I'm so sorry that I hurt you but I just don't know how I can make up for all the pain I caused you," Todd said as he began to cry.

"I know that you're sorry. Todd, do you think that Hannah knows I'm her mother?"

"Yeah I do."

"I want to see her. Do you know where she is?" I asked. I needed to see Hannah and tell her why I gave her up for adoption.

"I'm sorry Marty. I can't let you see her right now. There's no way I'm going to let her hurt you again."

"You don't get to dictate what I can and can not do Todd. I'm going to see Hannah whether you like it or not."

"Marty, she pushed you down a flight of stairs and stabbed you. She may be your daughter, but she's very dangerous and unstable. I don't want you anywhere near her, but if you insist on seeing her then I'll take you. I won't let her hurt you again."

"I hadn't thought of that. Is there any way that we could be wrong about Hannah? Maybe somebody else pushed me," I stated desperate for anything that would prove that she was innocent. Part of the reason that I had given Hannah up to adoption was so that I wouldn't resent or grow to hate her for the way she was conceived. I was so afraid of hating my own child and now that fear was slowly creeping back. If Hannah killed my child, how would I get past that?

"I don't have proof, but all my instincts tell me that Hannah is guilty. She seems to have a lot of resentment and anger towards us, so I think that she pushed you down those stairs to get back at us. Maybe you should stay here and let me deal with Hannah," Todd offered.

"How are you going to deal with Hannah?"

"I don't know. I haven't figured that part out yet."

"No. I need to go. I need to see her. I need to know if she pushed me down those stairs."

"Okay, there's one more thing I want to ask you before we go."

"What is it?"

"I have a strand of Hannah's hair. I'm going to have a DNA test done to see if I'm her father. Do you want me to run the test with a sample of your hair as well?"

"Yeah I need to know for sure," I said as I pulled out a loose hair strand and handed it to Todd.

"Okay, I'm going to drop this in the lab while you talk to your doctor about getting released," Todd said then left the room.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

AN: This chapter is written in Todd's point of view.

Marty and I walked into the warehouse where Hannah was waiting. She was still tied up just like I left her.

"Hannah, Todd told me that you were adopted? Is that true?" Marty asked as she pulled up a chair across from Hannah.

"Yeah, I was adopted."

"Hannah, do you know who your birth mother is?" Marty asked.

"I didn't want to tell you like this. I wasn't sure I even wanted you to know, but Mr. Manning's left me no choice. When my mom died I found out that you were my birth mother," Hannah explained.

Hannah was playing head games with Marty. I was certain of it. Hannah's entire attitude had changed. Earlier she was openly hostile and combative and their was a smug superiority in her eyes. Now she was soft spoken and forthcoming. The smugness had disappeared. Her sudden vulnerability and weakness was getting to Marty.

"I'm your mother? Why didn't you want me to know?"

"I didn't want to cause any problems for you. You obviously gave me up for a reason and I didn't want my presence to dredge up old memories. I just came to Llanview because I was curious and wanted to meet you even if you never knew who I was. You and Cole were everything that I expected you to be and so much more."

Marty stood up and headed to untie Hannah. I grabbed Marty's arm. "What are you doing? We can't trust her."

"Take your hands off of me," Marty said as she glared at me.

I instantly let go of her arm, "Please let me handle Hannah, she pushed you down the stairs. She stabbed you in the back. You can't trust her," I pleaded with Marty.

"Did you push me down the stairs?"  
Marty asked Hannah.

"No, but Mr. Manning didn't either. I lied when I told Cole I saw him push you?"

I stared at Hannah; I couldn't believe that she cleared my name after all this time. I wanted to believe that she was innocent, but I couldn't take the chance. She was cold and calculating. She actually reminded me of how I was when I was her age. I couldn't let her hurt the people I cared about, but I couldn't hurt her, not when she might be my daughter.

"Why would you do that Hannah?"

"I hate him for what he did to you. He raped you and he never paid for that. He's constantly interfering in your life and causing you pain. I just wanted him to pay. I shouldn't have lied to you. I'm sorry."

"Hannah what you did was very serious and when you leave here you need to go to the station and recant your testimony."

"Okay I will."

Marty untied Hannah and she instantly walked towards the exit.

"Wait. I was hoping that we could talk some more." Marty pleaded.

"I would like that some time, but I'm late for a prior engagement. I'll call you tomorrow and we can sit down and talk," Hannah said. She glared at me one last time and then exited the warehouse.

"You shouldn't have let her go," I stated.

"You couldn't have kept her locked up forever."

"I know that Marty. I just wanted more time."

"More time for what."

"To prove that she pushed you down the stairs."

"I don't think she did it Todd. It has to be somebody else."

"Like who?"

"I don't know perhaps I pissed somebody off or maybe somebody was mad at John so they pushed me to get back at him. It could be anyone, but I can't believe it was Hannah."

"Marty, I don't want to believe it was her either, but until we have hard proof will you stay away from her for your own sake."

"I can't do that Todd, she's my daughter. I need to get to know her."

"Will you at least promise that you won't see her without me?"

It was quiet for a couple of minutes then Marty finally responded, "okay I promise. You can tag along when I see Hannah until we have proof that she is innocent.

Marty and I were on our way out of the warehouse when my phone rang.

"Hello," I said answering the phone.

"Mr. Manning, It's me. It's Vimal."

"Do you have the results? Is she my daughter?" I asked anxiously.

"Yeah I received them. Do you want to come to the hospital so that we can discuss this in person?"

"No, I paid you a lot of money to get me the results as fast as possible. Now is she my daughter, or isn't she?" I shouted into the phone.

"She's your daughter."

"Are you certain of that?"

"Positive. What about the other test I had you run?"

"Sir, I can't give you the test results for Marty Saybrook without violating the patients confidentiality."

"God, I don't have time for this. Here's Marty tell her yourself," I said then handed my phone to Marty.

"This is Marty Saybrook, what were the test results?" Marty asked although we were both sure of the answer.

"It was positive. You're Hannah's mother."

"Thank you. Have a good night," Marty said as she hung up the phone. Marty turned to me, "Well, are you Hannah's father?"

"I am." I didn't know how I felt about the news. I wanted to be there for Hannah to get to know her but she hated me and I couldn't trust her. I knew that as hard as this news was on me it had to be a million times harder for Marty. "So what now?" I asked Marty.

"We need to let our kids know. Starr and Cole already know Hannah. We need to tell them first," Marty said going into autopilot.

"How do you feel about the news?" I whispered afraid of the answer.

"I've always known that you were a possibility and whatever else I've felt about you in the past, I've always thought that you were a great father. I know that things will be awkward at first, but I'm willing to try to put our past behind us for Hannah's sake."

"You don't know what that means to me, thank you," I said feeling grateful. Marty was handling the news better then I expected and better than I deserved.

"Okay Todd, let's go to Starr and Cole's and brake the news to them," Marty said.

We left the warehouse together. I didn't how Starr and Cole were going to take the news. I knew that it would be a complete shock for them to find out that they shared a half sister.


	14. Chapter 14

Falling 14

AN: This chapter is written in Hannah's point of view.

Todd had ruined everything for me by snooping into my past. I didn't want Marty to ever find out she was my mother. The look of concern and sympathy in her eyes when she found out who I was had gotten to me. It had made me want things that I had given up wanting a long time ago. There was still a part of me that wanted to believe that she actually cared for me, I wanted to be a part of her family, but my stepfather was right about me. Nobody could love me especially not my mother. Marty had always hated me and it was in my best interest if I hated her back.

I still remember the day I found out who I really was. I was thirteen when my adoptive mother Sandra Wolek shot herself. The note that she left behind revealed so many secrets that she had been keeping.

When she died I found out all about my birth mother and my step father found out how I was conceived. He blamed me for Sandra's death. She had been raped a month prior to her suicide and she never got over it. She had become haunted, scared. I still remember how hard it was for her to get out of bed in the morning.

When she died my stepfather Chris told me that I was no better than the men who had raped Sandra or my mother. I was evil because of the way I was conceived and he was right. I was doomed from the start. Every time Chris took his anger out on me, my hatred for Marty grew. I spent years hating her for my existence and I wanted her to pay so I set out to destroy her life and I had succeeded. I took away her child and I stabbed her.

When Marty found out the truth everything had changed. All these thoughts of wanting to feel loved and finding a place to belong had clouded my judgment. I kept thinking that if she could love me then maybe I wasn't all that bad.

I headed over to Cole's house. I thought long and hard about staying in town and inserting myself into Marty's life as her daughter, but it would never work. The truth always had a way of coming out and when Marty found out what I had done to her she would never forgive me. The only chance for me to have a normal life was Hope. I had to carry out what I started. I needed to take Hope and start a new life somewhere where we could be free from the legacy that had been given to us.

I knocked on Cole's door and it wasn't long before he answered. "Hannah, what are you doing here?"

"I came to tell you the truth. I've been lying to you for months about who I really am," I said as I stepped inside his apartment.

"What are you talking about? Cole asked.

"Is Starr here? This concerns her too."

"I'm right here," Starr said as she walked out of the bedroom carrying Hope.

"What is this about Hannah?" Starr asked as she put Hope down on the carpet to play.

"I just came from seeing your parents. They know the truth about me and it's time that you found out the truth as well. Todd and Marty are my biological parents and you're both my siblings," I stated as I kept an eye on Hope.

"That can't be true," Starr stated.

"It is true. I was conceived the night of the spring fling."

"How long have you known?" Cole asked.

"I was thirteen when I found out."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner? You've been in Llanview for months."

"I wasn't sure that I wanted you to know. I just wanted to spend some time with you and get to know you."

"I've got a sister. I always wanted a sibling," Cole said as he gave me a hug.

I felt pangs of guilt I never thought that I would feel. I had spent months planning their demise, everything had been perfect and now I didn't want to go through with it, but I was stuck. I didn't see any other way. Cole and Starr would both hate me when they found out everything that I had done since I came to town. Hope was my only chance at having a family and I had to take it even if I regretted it. "Hope is beautiful," I said as I glanced towards the little girl playing with her baby doll on the floor. "I've never been an aunt before. Would you mind if I held her."

"Sure," Cole said.

I picked up Hope and placed her on my left hip while I pulled the gun out of my purse with my right hand and pointed it at Starr and Cole.

"What are you doing?" Cole asked as he stepped in front of Starr.

"I'm taking your daughter with me. Don't worry I'm going to give her a good home."

"Why are you doing this to us? I'm Hope's mother. She needs me. Please don't do this Hannah," Starr pleaded with me.

"I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be," I said as I opened up the front door only to find Todd and Marty blocking my exit.


	15. Chapter 15

Falling 15

_AN: This chapter is written in Marty's point of view._

Todd and I had gone over to Cole's to tell him and Starr the truth about Hannah. I was about to knock when the door opened. I saw Hannah holding Hope in one hand and a gun in the other hand. Starr was screaming at Hannah to give Hope back. I felt like time had slowed down and I felt removed from the scene. I saw what was happening, but I didn't know how to react. I stood there stunned.

"What are you doing Hannah?" I heard Todd ask.

"I'm taking my niece far away from the likes of you. She's completely innocent and I won't let you destroy her the way that you've destroyed everything else."

"Hannah, I love her. She's my granddaughter. I would never hurt her. I know that you hate me, but don't punish Cole, Starr, or Hope to get back at me," Todd said in an attempt to get Hannah to release Hope.

"You don't understand. Hope's my family. She's all I have left. I would never hurt her, but I can't let you damage her the way that you've damaged everybody else."

"Let her go, Hannah," Todd said as he pulled out his own gun and pointed it at her. "I'm not going to let you leave with her. I can see that you love Hope so don't take her from her parents. Do the right thing before it's too late."

"It's already too late for me. I never had a chance because of who you are," Hannah said. "Cole, come take your daughter from me and promise me that you won't let this son of a bitch destroy her the way that he destroyed me."

"I promise," Cole said as he cautiously grabbed Hope from Hannah.

As soon as Hope was out of her arms Hannah pointed the gun to her head."

"Hannah don't. Whatever this is, whatever trouble you've gotten into, I can help you," I said finally finding my voice.

"You can't help. Nobody can. I don't deserve to live. I'm evil just like my father. There's no good in me. You must of known it that's why you've always hated me. That's why you gave me away all those years ago. Why didn't you just have an abortion? We would have all been better off if I never existed.

"I don't hate you Hannah. I fell in love with you from the moment I found out that you existed. I was in a very dark place when I found out that I was pregnant with you. You saved my life. I found out that I was pregnant with you after I tried to kill myself."

"You tried to kill yourself because of what I did to you?" Todd quietly asked.

I never told Todd about my failed suicide attempt and I knew that it would be hard for him to hear, but Hannah needed to know what a gift she was to me and how her existence had gotten me through the darkest period of my life.

"Yeah, I had just gotten through testifying at the rape trial. When I cleared Kevin, it made me look like a liar in the jurors' eyes. I was certain that Zach, Powell, and you would get away with everything that you did to me. I was under so much stress and I felt like everyone was judging me - that I would never be seen as anything more than the drunk party girl who got what she deserved."

"You didn't deserve that, you never did," Todd said interrupting me.

"I know that now, but at the time I felt pretty worthless and powerless. I went home that night and thought that if I could just sleep forever then I would never be hurt again, so I took a bottle of sleeping pills and it wasn't long before I fell asleep."

"So, what happened? Did somebody find you?" Hannah asked.

"My doctor and good friend Larry Wolek was worried about me, so he came by to see how I was. I left the door unlocked so when I didn't answer he walked into my house and found me passed out in bed. He got me to the hospital and they pumped my stomach. When I woke up he told me that I was pregnant with you. Finding out about you changed everything for me. You were proof that something good can come out of something bad. You had become my reason for living."

"If you loved me so much then why did you get rid of me?" Hannah asked.

"I knew that if I kept you everyone would know how you were conceived. I didn't want that night to affect you. I didn't want you to be known as the product of rape. You were innocent and I didn't want you to deal with the consequences that being our daughter would bring you. I wanted to give you a fresh start. Doctor Larry Wolek had a sister Sandra who was looking to adopt so I kept my pregnancy a secret for as long as I could. When I couldn't hide it any longer I left town and told all my friends that I was going to Paris. Larry helped me deliver you and then I handed you over to your adoptive mother."

"My mother Sandra died when I was thirteen. My stepfather Chris told me that you didn't want anything to do with me - that I was a reminder of the worst night of your life. Was he telling the truth?" Hannah asked with so much pain in her voice.

"Of course it wasn't true Hannah. I didn't know that Sandra had died," I said hoping that I could take away the pain that Hannah had been carrying around with her.

"It doesn't matter, not anymore. Even if you're telling the truth, I've ruined everything. You'll hate me once you find out what I did."

"I could never hate you," I said. I was desperate to get through to her.

"Oh yeah, not even if I killed your unborn child. Not even if I stabbed you and left you for dead," Hannah said.

I felt as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. I found myself losing balance. It was as if I was falling down a deep bottomless hole. Todd put his arm around me. "Why? Why would you do that to me?" I asked as tears streamed down my face.

"Because I hated you for abandoning me. Because I was convinced that you hated me too. But more importantly I did it because I'm my father's daughter. All I know is hate, that's why I have to die."

"Please don't pull the trigger. You've already taken one child from me, don't take another," I pleaded with Hannah.

Minutes went by in silence. I could hear the clock ticking in the background. Finally Hannah lowered the gun and handed it to me and I could breathe again.

"What's going on?" I heard John ask as he walked up behind Todd and I. "The neighbors called because of the noise."

"Arrest me," Hannah said. "I pushed Marty down the stairs. I'm the reason she lost your child. I stabbed her a couple of days ago and I tried to kidnap Hope tonight. I'm tired of all the hatred, I just want it to be over," Hannah said as she looked at me.

I watched as John placed the handcuffs on Hannah. It would never be over, not for me. I still loved Hannah, and probably always would but I hated her for taking my unborn child away. I hated the things that she was capable of and I didn't know what to do or how to get past her betrayal.


	16. Chapter 16

Falling 16

AN: This chapter is written from Todd's point of view.

We watched as John escorted Hannah out of the room.

Mom, do you want to talk about it?" Cole asked.

"No I can't right now. I have to get out of here. I'm sorry, I'll call you later," Marty said as she left the room.

"This is all your fault," Cole said as he glared at me.

"For once we agree. Take care of Hope and Starr. I'll take care of your mom, I promise," I said as I left.

I walked out to the car and saw Marty standing there waiting for me.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.

"I still love her; even after everything she did to destroy my life, but I don't know if I can forgive her without betraying the child that she took from me and John. What should I do?"

"I can't answer that for you. I wish I could take this pain from you, but I can't, but I'm willing to listen anytime that you want to talk."

"Will you take me to go see Hannah? I want to see if she has been arraigned yet."

"Of course."

We drove to the police station in silence. When we got there Marty burst into tears. "I thought that I could do this but I can't. I'm not ready to face her."

"It's okay Marty. I'll go see if she has been arraigned yet."

"Okay, thanks Todd."

-

I walked into the police station and saw John in the corner talking to Brody.

"Hey John, where's my daughter?

"What are you talking about Manning?" John asked. "I don't know where Danni or Starr are."

"I'm not looking for Dani or Starr. I'm looking for my other daughter Hannah."

"Hannah is your daughter?" John asked.

"Hannah is mine and Marty's daughter."

"You're delusional Manning, Marty would never have a kid with you."

"I don't have time for this. Ask Marty if you don't believe me. Can I see her?"

"I don't need you threatening Hannah. I know that you're upset about what she did to Starr and Hope, but I promise she'll pay."

"John, I'm not going to threaten her. You can come with me if you want,"

"Okay Manning, don't make me regret it. You have ten minutes."

"Thanks John," I said as I headed towards the holding cells to see Hannah.

I walked down to the cells and I saw Hannah. She looked so defeated and broken as she sat on the cold hard floors.

"What do you want?" Hannah asked as she looked at me.

"I want to talk to you," I said.

"Well, I don't want to talk to you so leave me the hell alone.

"I'm going to talk and you're going to listen. I get that you hate me, but I'm still your father which means I'm going to do everything that I can to help you. Do you have a lawyer?"

"God, you're unbelievable. I don't want your help. I don't want anything to do with you. I hurt Marty, Cole, Starr, Hope and John. I killed my own brother or sister. I tried to kill my mother. Don't you think I should pay for that?"

"Oh Hannah, you are going to pay for that, whether you go to prison or not. You're going to have to live the rest of your life knowing what you did and how far you went to get revenge. I know the personal hell that awaits you and I wish that I could spare you that, but I can't."

"It wasn't supposed to be this way. I'm not supposed to feel this way. When I pushed Marty down the stairs I felt nothing. I didn't care that I stabbed her, not until you told her that I was her daughter and I realized that I had cheated myself out of the one thing that I wanted most - her love. She hates me now. She's never going to forgive me."

"Oh, I don't know about that Hannah. You're mom can be really forgiving when she wants to be?"

"Oh yeah, has she ever forgiven you?"

I thought long and hard about Marty's and my relationship as I contemplated the best way to answer Hannah's question. It was true that Marty had never verbally told me that she forgave me, but I also knew that there were times where I was close to earning her forgiveness.

"Well, has she?" Hannah asked again.

"Yes and no. I hurt your mother very badly and I have worked very hard to prove to her that I have changed - that I would never ever hurt her or any other woman in that way again. I know that she sees the changes I have made and has come to peace with letting the past lie in the past. You know what Hannah? Marty still loves you. She told me as much. So I think that you should work on earning her forgiveness and as long as she loves you there's always hope. I'm going to call my friend Tea. She's a lawyer, please listen to her advice," I said as I left Hannah to think about what I said.

-

"How's Hannah? Did they set a date for her arraignment?" Marty asked as soon as I got in the car.

"No, not yet, but Marty I need to tell you something."

"What?" Marty asked.

"I know that Hannah hurt you. That she's hurt a lot of people, but I don't want her to go to prison so I'm going to call Tea and hope that she can help our daughter."

There was a couple minutes of silence as Marty digested the information that I gave her. "Tea's a good lawyer. Maybe Hannah can go to ST. Anne's instead of going to prison. She needs help and I'm not sure that she would get that in prison."

"You're amazing, you know that. Marty I'm really sorry that what I did to you in college has haunted you for so long. I'm sorry for all the pain that I caused you. I need you to know that," I said as my voice broke with emotion.

"I know that Todd. Let's just try and let the pain of that night rest in the past and try to be there for our daughter," Marty said.

I didn't know how but I would find a way to make it up to Marty and Hannah.


	17. Chapter 17

Falling 17

AN: This chapter will alternate between Marty and Hannah's point of view.

Marty's POV:

I knocked on John's office. I had made a decision about Hannah that would affect John's life too and I knew that John had to hear about it from me. I owed him that much, after all he lost his child as well.

"Marty, what are you doing here? I thought that you would be going to Hannah's arraignment and sentencing."

"I am, but I wanted to give you the heads up. I'm going to testify on Hannah's behalf and recommend that she be sent to ST Anne's for counseling."

"Why would you do that? She killed our child," John said his voice heavy with emotion.

"I know, but she's my child too."

"So Manning was telling the truth? You had a child with him?"

"Hannah was conceived the night of the spring fling. Todd and I are her parents."

"Hannah's using you. She's exploiting the fact that she's your mother to get a lighter sentence."

"She's sick John. She needs help. I'm not the only therapist that thinks so. Dr. Levin examined her as well and he's going to recommend that she be treated at ST. Annes as well. Nora's agreed to recommend that she serve her sentence in ST. Anne's as part of the plea deal."

"I understand that she's your daughter, but can you honestly tell me that you've forgiven her? Can you tell me that she won't hurt you again?"

"I haven't forgiven her John, but I have to try to get past what she did. She's my daughter and I love her and I can't turn my back on her when she needs me. I just can't. Are you angry with me?" I asked John.

"I could never be angry with you for following your big heart. I just don't want to see you hurt again. I'm always going to care about you," John said as he gave me a hug.

"Are you going to the arraignment?" I asked.

"I'll be there," John said.

"I'll see you there," I said as I walked out of the office.

-

Hannah's POV:

I sat in my cell waiting for the guards to come get me. I was going to my arraignment where I would plead guilty. I had discussed my options with Tea and we agreed that I should take the plea agreement with the DA. I waited for the guards as Cole and Starr came into my view.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"We needed to talk to you before the arraignment. We hate what you did to our parents, what you did to us and to Hope, but you're still our sister. We haven't forgiven you, but we're going to try and let it go for Marty's sake. Good luck at the arraignment," Cole said.

"Cole, Starr, for what it's worth, I am sorry for all the pain I caused." I said knowing that my apology wasn't enough to make up for all the pain.

"We know Hannah," Starr said. "I've always managed to find a way to forgive our father and I'm sure that in time I'll forgive you as well. Bye Hannah," Starr said as she grabbed Cole's hand and left.

-

I stood up in court and I told everybody that I was guilty of everything that I was being accused of. I explained that I hurt Marty and Todd because I blamed them for the abuse that I had suffered at my step-father's hands.

Doctor Levin took the stand and informed the court that I had suffered a mental break from reality, that I suffered from deep depression and anxiety about being abandoned and that he recommended that I be treated at ST. Anne's.

I watched as Marty took the stand and I looked away in shame. Marty agreed with Doctor Levin's assessment and told the court that she believed that I needed help. She cried on the stand as she begged the judge to show mercy towards me.

The judge sentenced me to ten years to be served in the ST. Anne's institution for the criminally insane.

Marty and Todd came over to me once the court had been dismissed. "Thank you for testifying on my behalf. I know that was hard for you and I wanted to tell you both that I'm sorry," I said as I broke down in tears.

"I know Hannah. I meant what I said on the stand. I still love you. You're my daughter and I'm going to try to get past what you did. You won't be allowed visitors for the first three months, but after that Todd and I will be in to visit with you. Take care Hannah," Marty said as she squeezed my hand.

For the first time in a long time I had hope that my mother and I could have a relationship. I was determined to work through my issues and to earn her forgiveness. I would do whatever it took to be worthy of her love.


End file.
